Friends, take a moment to peruse the gallery of spy photos we have embedded below. Oftentimes you can suss out some details hiding beneath camouflage covers, but this time around there's almost a comical aspect to these Audi shots. Fortunately, the features that stand out – prominently we might add – help us conclude this is an all-electric RS6 E-Tron prototype.
For example, check out those wing/fender flares at the front. They wouldn't look out of place on a Ford Bronco Raptor, but you won't find big off-road tyres in the wells of this Audi. Unfortunately, the lighting isn't good enough to make out tyre sizes but they're tall, wide, and supremely low-profile. Moreover, how about those shiny cross-drilled brake rotors behind them? They look barely small enough to fit behind the wheel. Clearly, these are components you won't find on a standard Audi saloon.
So, we have silly-wide wing/fender flares nearly filled up with fat tyres and super-sized brake rotors. Now, let's have a look at the back where we see more oddball body lines with the quarter panels jutting out. And there's a chunk of ... something across the back. It's not a spoiler, but maybe it could be some piece of plastic hiding a spoiler? Zoom in and you'll see it's broken on the right side, but down low we have another prominent clue to this being an RS 6 E-Tron. That's a fairly aggressive diffuser tucked in there, and exhaust pipes are nowhere to be seen.
Add it all up, and we arrive at an Audi RS6 E-Tron. Moreover, our spy sources think this is more of a test mule than a prototype, given the janky nature of the wing/fender flares. Clearly, Audi is moving forward in the development phase as this is the first RS6 prototype we've seen with such body modifications. The automaker has already said the RS6 will be more than just an A6 E-Tron with more power, and now we're seeing what that means in terms of stance. Once the widebody design is finalised, it should be a mean-looking machine.
Gallery: Audi RS6 E-Tron Spy Photos
That likely means some serious power lurks underneath. Utilising the PPE platform co-developed with Porsche, 700 bhp or more certainly isn't out of the question. All four wheels will manage the power, and lest we forget, this saloon will technically be a hatchback – or liftback, sportback, or whatever back you prefer. Point being, the rear glass will lift to provide a good bit of space to carry things, never mind the space further forward for passengers.
Spying On Audi:
It'll be a while before we get full disclosure, however. The new A6 E-Tron needs to arrive first, and that's likely not happening until next year. We could be a year or more away from seeing the RS6 model on the street.
Source: SH Proshots